Driving with Chins

[hurrikos]

Hi all!

I currently have a female chin (Snowy) and I am getting another girl in early January. The breeder has asked if I can take my chin with me on the day that I pick up baby so that they can interact in a neutral environment. I fully support this and think it's a great idea, but I'm a bit concerned about having my chin in the car for that long.

It's about an hours drive to the breeders, and then an hours drive home - so about two hours on the road. I know it isn't that long, but when I picked up Snowy earlier in the year, she seemed pretty stressed by the experience and it was a similar drive time. With the extra factor of meeting a new buddy, I'm worried about how she'll cope... is there anything that I can do to alleviate her stress? I was planning on taking a bit of food, a spare water bottle and lining her carrier with her favorite (absorbent...) fleece. If anyone has any suggestions, I would really appreciate it!

 

[akane]

She may be less stressed now that she knows you. If you can strap the cage in to the front seat and talk to her she might be fine this time. Personally though I would not take most of my chins with me to meet a strange chin. Maybe Aime or Katsu if it was a female but that's it. Aika is too easily stressed and requires a long introduction of having cages next to each other, then a cage inside her cage, and then some time in a neutral area. Even then attempts to intro Aime to her led to a bit up, bloody nose and we quit trying. The ebonies I haven't tried to introduce anyone to and am unsure of their personality towards new comers. Many chins you can't just throw together in a neutral area suddenly. It's not a good idea to try except maybe pairing up a male and female who are less likely to fight. You cage them next to each other for several weeks before trying a neutral territory.

Also taking your chin to a stranger's house risks illnesses. We would never do this with rabbits because every herd has their own strains of respiratory illnesses and must be quarantined for a month before putting them in the cages near the others. Some even house each rabbit they've taken to a show in cages as far from the rest of their herd as possible, another room preferably, to avoid bringing back an illness.

 

[hurrikos]

Thanks Akane, that's very helpful. I think I may reconsider taking her with me. I have a two-cage set-up at home and plenty of neutral ground to introduce them in my own home and at their own pace. When the breeder originally mentioned taking her, I did think "Really...? " at first, but she did seem really optimistic about the idea and kind of talked me around to it - I thought it may have been some kind of new tactic that she has found worked well since it has been a couple of years since I last introduced chins (used the cage by cage method which I've never had a problem with). I think my logical side might have been blinded by the lady herself to be honest... she was so enthusiastic!


I think leaving Snowy behind and having a slow, steady introduction will be better. Like you said, I don't want to risk incompatibility, her herd passing on diseases to Snowy, or vice versa. Everyone's happiness and wellbeing is the most important thing!

 

[jags]

Taking your chin with you will only put unnecessary stress on her and will not tell you how they will interact once you get home. Its just added risk and really gains you nothing.

 

[gizandcharlie]

I don't think it would do any harm. She may be stressed out for a couple hours but once she's back home in her own cage she'll be just fine. It's a pretty long drive for me to get my chinnies to the vet, and they were fine. Just don't put the two in the same cage. I've read somewhere that having them in the car together allows them to seek comfort in each other. But that's just my outlook.

 

[Godofgods]

i gotta agree with akane and jaggs. Its a lot of risk for no real reward. How the two might act together there could be completely different then how they act together at your house.

Also there is a reason ppl do slow introductions, not just immediately stick two random chins together and see. There is also a reason for the quarantine of a new pet. The risk of spreading an illness to your current chin is much higher. I always try to do what i can to make it a smoother transaction for them, but in this case i see no real benefit.

 

[akane]

She probably got the idea because it's suggested with dogs but most dogs don't get as stressed about things as chins and are introduced faster. Even with dogs though the strange setting can cause altered behavior. We almost weren't sold our shiba puppy because when we took my akita she growled at the pen of puppies and had her fur all bunched up. She's nervous about strangers though and finds puppies really annoying. Got them home and they laid down to chew on the same bone. Rarely had a problem. She did get really frustrated one day when we were fostering 2 other dogs and reacted too strongly towards the much smaller shiba causing her to bang her head. Ever diagnosed a pet with a headache? I went over her entire body 3 times and couldn't find out why she was crying. Other than that she's highly protective of Haru and they've gotten along wonderfully for the past 3 years.